The juniors, who are 2015 graduates of Abington High, made the All-NEWMAC first team after the Engineers went 9-2.

Jim Fenton The Enterprise @JFenton_ent

They had football success together at Abington High School, helping the Green Wave win the 2014 Division 5 Super Bowl as seniors.

Now, Luca Cerasani and Sam Malafronte are teammates again at Worcester Polytechnic Institute where the junior defensive standouts had key roles in one of the program’s best seasons ever.

The Engineers (9-2) tied the school record for wins, matching the total of the 1992 team, and won a postseason game for the first time.

Cerasani, a lineman, and Malafronte, a linebacker, were selected to the All-New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference first team.

“They’re best friends, they live together, they hold each other accountable,’’ said WPI coach Chris Robertson. “Most of the time when we recruit, we’re getting one kid from a school per year maybe. The fact that we could find two great football playmakers at the same high school that come from such a great tradition with coach (Jim) Kelliher, it’s definitely translated to our success here.’’

WPI ranks among the national Division 3 leaders in points (13.3) and yards (261.5) allowed, and Cerasani and Malafronte had a lot to do with the stinginess.

Cerasani was second in the NEWMAC with eight sacks for 49 yards and 21 tackles for a loss of yardage. He also forced three fumbles, recovering one, and intercepted a pass.

Through three seasons, he has 19 sacks, including eight as a sophomore.

In a 17-3 win over Maritime in the New England Bowl Series last Saturday, Cerasani was named the most valuale player after making seven tackles with four for a loss of yardage and two sacks to go with a pass breakup.

“He’s just so explosive,’’ said Robertson. “He’s got great strength. One-on-one, he can beat guys a lot bigger than him because of his speed and quickness.

“He was the MVP of our bowl game, which for a defensive end is a pretty cool thing to get. He dominated the line of scrimmage, played one of the best games since he’s been here.’’

Malafronte, who made 65 tackles as a sophomore, had 73 stops this season with two sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.

“He’s a brilliant linebacker,’’ said Robertson. “I call the defenses and coach the linebackers and he and I are on the same page with everything.

“He’s such a student of the game and watches a tremendous amount of film. He’s extremely prepared. He’s not the fastest kid, but he’s one of the strongest kids and his determination and his willpower are far exceeding most people.’’

Robertson appreciates the way the Abington residents approach the sport.

“The thing about both Luca and Sam is they practice the way they play,’’ he said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and your best football players are the guys who never take a rep off.

“Those are two perfect examples of guys who treat every practice and every rep like it’s a game and they go out and have fun on Saturdays because they’ve been doing it all week.’’

Robertson will look to Cerasani and Malafronte to become even bigger leaders in their season seasons next fall.

“We’re going to put it out there to them to become better football players,’’ he said. “I saw both of them in the weight room already this week getting ready for next year. It’s a great thing to see young leaders of our program lead by example.

“Here we are a couple of days after our last game and we’ve been going since the first week of August and they’re already preparing themselves for next year.’’

The WPI roster also includes sophomore wide receiver Brendan Chipman of Middleboro, who made eight catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.

The predictions:

Boston College 24, Syracuse 21: The Eagles get their seventh win.

Alabama 28, Auburn 24: The Crimson Tide stay perfect.

Notre Dame 31, Stanford 28: The Irish hold on to win.

Florida State 27, Florida 21: Rough season for both teams.

Miami 24, Pittsburgh 17: The Hurricanes are headed for a showdown with Clemson.

LAST WEEK: 4-1

SEASON TOTAL: 36-24

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